Warped Tour 2010-Something for Everyone

Ahhhhh…the Warped Tour!! What happens when you have 70 bands from indie to emo to metal to old school punk legends playing on 8 stages; booths for clothing companies, contests, music, social issues, food, beer gardens and so much more sprawled across the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA? Oh, and let’s not forget the throngs of fans of all ages and 80 degree temperatures in the beautiful California sun. What you get, some would say, is chaos, but we just call it the opening date of Warped Tour 2010. Hollywood Music Magazine was there to witness, capture and partake in the debauchery and fun.

I have attended Warped in the past and as a “metal” guy, at times have asked myself, “Wow, am I really at the Warped Tour?” This go around, it was more a statement, “I am at the effin Warped Tour!” Adding to that excitement were the bands Emmure, Whitechapel and Suicide Silence all playing consecutively on the Altec Lansing stage. Since none of those bands are what you would traditionally think of as Warped type bands, I was anxious to see the crowd. In short…all 3 crushed their set and the crowd was insane!! There were several pits, much crowd surfing and packed with kids throwing horns in the air, banging their heads giving hail to metal at what has been known more as a platform for punk and alternative acts than deathcore.

I had the opportunity to speak with members of Whitechapel and Suicide Silence backstage both before and after their sets and the discussion(s) were centered around the difference between being on Warped as opposed to say, Mayhemfest, which Suicide Silence appeared in 2008 and Whitechapel in

2009. Alex Wade, guitarist of Whitechapel, observed that the most noticeable difference is the demographic of the audience. Whereas Warped is pretty consistent in the 13-25 year old crowd, Mayhem attracts an audience that is more attractive to an older demographic depending on who is the headliner. In talking to Mark Heylmun of Suicide Silence, it is that difference as well as the musical genre differential that was at the crux of the band’s desire to play at Warped.

Rather than shying away because it wasn’t what would typically be “their crowd’” Suicide Silence saw the opportunity to dispense their heavily crushing brand of metal to kids that maybe wouldn’t ever have known who they are and thus, broaden their fan base. If that’s what they were shooting for then as Spanish soccer announcer, Camacho, would say the result is GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!! Emmure opened the Altec Lansing stage, giving the punk/alternative/emo scene kids of the west coast a taste of there metalcore style from Connecticut. The crowd was frenzied and it was early in the day, so the energy continued to build as Whtiechapel, with their latest album A New Era of Corruption only a month old, took the stage, destroying the crush of fans that continued to build. After the set, Wade went on to tell me that the band anticipates the crowds, although different in demographic than they are used to or on Mayhem, will be bigger just due to the sheer popularity of the Warped Tour and it’s longevity (16 years).

As Whitechapel was winding down, members of Suicide Silence, expressed a bit of nerves before they got on stage. This is the Warped Tour, generally the biggest summer tour and not sure how they would be received. As the stage was being set, I went out and talked to some of the kids in the front. They all knew who Suicide Silence was, but they had never seen them live and were pretty excited.

From the opening of “Wake Up” the crowd was insane and continued to grow as their set went on. It was pure chaos; several pits opened up, hands were raised and heads were rocking. If the opening dates was any indication, the metal bands performing on Warped Tour 2010, have a crossover appeal and will make plenty of new fans. As I walked out from the photo pit, a photographer remarked to me, “Holy shit, these kids love these metal bands!”

In speaking with Suicide Silence guitarist, Chris Garza, later in the day, the nerves had been settled and it was obvious this tour was going to be fun. Everybody from any band I talked to regardless of musical style, was totally stoked to be playing on the Warped Tour, as a performer and a fan. Wade was looking forward to not only playing with the bands from their own genre but also bands like Andrew W.K. and Sum 41, if nothing else, for the nostalgia of it all, since he grew up as a skater kid, not a metal head.

It was a great kick-off to Warped and in Southern California we have the added advantage of not only the opening date, but also at the end in Pomona in August, where assuredly the weather won’t be as kind as it was June 25th with a nice breeze, but no matter what, it will be a rollicking time that can only be had at the Warped Tour and Hollywood Music will be there to bring it all to you. This was just a metal fan perspective. After this year, it is no longer a question of if I am at the Warped Tour, but a question of when is the next one. It is a blast, if you are punk, alternative, emo and yes metal too.